Evert Augustus Duyckinck (1816-1878) and his brother George Long Duyckinck (1823-1863) were biographers, editors of The Literary World between 1848 and 1853, and editors and publishers of the Cyclopedia of American Literature. Collection consists of literary and general correspondence, diaries, notebooks, manuscripts of writings, memorabilia, and legal, financial, and business papers, 1830-1878, of E.A. Duyckinck and George L. Duyckinck. Also, correspondence, daybooks, account and receipt books, and journals, 1793-1833, of their father, Evert Duyckinck; papers, 1838-1889, of Margaret Wolfe Panton Duyckinck, wife of E.A. Duyckinck; papers, 1856-1869, of Henry Duyckinck, Evert Duyckinck, Jr., and George Duyckinck (sons of E.A. Duyckinck); papers, 1810-1851, of Sophia Roorbach; and papers of the Wolfe and Panton families. Includes manuscript of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Old Manse (1846) and Washington Irving's The Author's Apology (1848) and Communipaw (1849).

Biographical/historical information

Evert Augustus Duyckinck (1816-1878), editor and biographer, son of Evert and Harriet June Duyckinck, and the elder brother of George Long Duyckinck (1823-1863). Evert Duyckinck Sr., (1764?-1833) was a publisher of standard literature in New York City. Duyckinck's higher education: Columbia College B.A. (1835); John Anthon LLD, admitted to the bar (1837). Duyckinck did not practice law; instead like his father, he opted for a literary career which began by submitting articles to the New York Review. He married Margaret Wolfe Panton in 1840. Their marriage produced three sons Evert, George and Henry all of whom died young. Duyckinck jointly edited with Cornelius Matthews the Arturus, a Journal of Books and Opinions between 1840-1842. He edited the Literary World for Osgood & Co. (1853). Evert with his brother George bought the Literary World (1853). They jointly edited it between 1848-1853. Together, the Duyckinck brothers edited the Cyclopaedia of American Literature (2 vols . 1855) ; Evert later revised it after the death of his brother George (2 vols. and supplement, 1866). Duyckinck edited other works and he compiled Irvingiana, Anecdotes and Traits of Washington Irving.

George Long Duyckinck (1823-1863), editor, biographer and the younger brother of Evert Augustus Duyckinck. Duyckinck's higher education; Hobart College (year?); City University of the City of New York LLD. (1843). Duyckinck followed the career choice of his brother by entering the literary world and by not practicing law. Besides editing the Literary World, his other accomplishments include a biography of George Herbert (1858).

Scope and arrangement

Collection consists of literary and general correspondence, diaries, notebooks, manuscripts of writings, memorabilia, and legal, financial, and business papers, 1830-1878, of E.A. Duyckinck and George L. Duyckinck. Also, correspondence, daybooks, account and receipt books, and journals, 1793-1833, of their father, Evert Duyckinck; papers, 1838-1889, of Margaret Wolfe Panton Duyckinck, wife of E.A. Duyckinck; papers, 1856-1869, of Henry Duyckinck, Evert Duyckinck, Jr., and George Duyckinck (sons of E.A. Duyckinck); papers, 1810-1851, of Sophia Roorbach; and papers of the Wolfe and Panton families. Includes manuscript of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Old Manse (1846) and Washington Irving's The Author's Apology (1848) and Communipaw (1849).

The literary correspondence consists of incoming letters to Evert A. Duyckinck and George L. Duyckinck in their capacity as editors of Arcturus, the Literary World and the Cyclopaedia of American Literature. The correspondents are from authors includingmany important American authors of the ante-belllum period, women authors, artists, clergy, poets, historians, associates and colleagues. There are a few draft replies from the Duyckinck brothers.

Some of the letters have been mounted in the published volume of the Cyclopaedia of American Literature. Cross references to these letters appear in the container list. (A separate list of the mounted letters have in serial order is available on paper in the Manuscripts and Archives Division and can be requested from Division staff.)

Another peculiarity of the Literary Correspondence is the occasional appearance of non-literary or historical figures antedating the Duyckincks. These "autographic items" provide evidence of the somewhat artificial nature of the series; that is, the letters were not just received, but collected by the Duyckincks during their literary career.

Administrative information

Custodial history

The Duyckinck Family Papers, 1793-1899, were given to the Lenox Library in 1890 (Note: the Lenox Library was consolidated into the New York Public Library: Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundation) by Margaret Wolfe Duyckinck, widow of Evert Augustus Duyckinck (1816-1878). The papers were part of the Duyckinck Collection comprising, in addition to the family papers, some 15,000 books and 1,500 pamphlets relating to English and American literature collected by George Long Duyckinck (1823-1863), Evert Augustus Duyckinck (1816-1878) and their father Evert Duyckinck, printer, publisher, and book dealer in New York City. The books and pamphlets were sent to the General Research Division. About 10,000 items from the Duyckinck Collection have been listed in the Lenox Library's Short Title List, Nos. 8, 12 (1887,1890).

Source of acquisition

Donated to the Lenox Library by Margaret Wolfe Duyckinck, 1890

Processing information

The Duyckinck Family Papers were arranged by the Lenox library staff into their present main series, although in common practice of the time period, no box listing or inventory was made. Volumes were integrated into the main series of the papers in 2011. They had originally been listed separately.